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Update on That Pepe Children’s Book

As I previously mentioned here, if you’re a writer and you think your idea is pretty dumb… go ahead and make it. Nothing you do could ever be as dumb as a Pepe children’s book.

Oh and about that book… there’s been some news.

Matt Furie created the cartoon character Pepe the Frog in 2005 as a kind of peaceful stoner animal for his comic “Boys Club.” By 2008, the frog had become a meme at 4chan. In the 2016 election cycle, though, Pepe became something completely different—an ever-meme of the alt-right. The Anti-Defamation League characterizes Pepe as a hate symbol and has catalogued some of the most viciously racist and anti-semitic examples.

Now Furie wants his comic frog back. After years of letting it slide, Furie has lawyered up and sent demand letters to several alt-right personalities, including white supremacist Richard Spencer, Mike Cernovich, and the subreddit “The_Donald.”

Last month, Furie took legal action against a man in Texas who created an Islamophobic version of Pepe for a children’s book. That matter reached a settlement. Now, Furie’s lawyers have spoken to Vice about his determination to reclaim ownership of the image and the demand letters they have sent out.

The creator of Pepe is suing the fellow who made that incredibly dumb book about Pepe and Pedo. While it doesn’t sound like he will win all of the cases that have been filed… since he has not been attempting to enforce his copyright for years and some of the usage of Pepe is purely political… at least he’s trying?